And the Rammy Nominees Are…

Chefs, publicists, journalists, and restaurateurs turned out Tuesday evening to find out who was on this year’s list of Rammy nominees. The awards are bestowed each year by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, with this year’s ceremony taking place June 7 at the Omni Shoreham in DC.

Nycci and David Nellis, hosts of the food-focused radio show Dishing It Out, read the list of nominees and nearly gained control over the crowd, chatting noisily and excitedly in a room that was rather unfortunately lit like an episode of The X Files. Nominees for Best New Restaurant provided a few small bites—oddly, all were either raw or cured fish or chicken livers—and local cocktail mavens served original creations.

Below is a listing of the nominees, and there’s no guessing who will reign supreme in each category. In the meantime, we’re doing some judging ourselves. Here are a few highlights from the nomination party.